Wine Library Notes

Vertical Tasting Held on November 11, 2024

Each year, we excitedly look forward to hosting our Vertical Tasting to celebrate the conclusion of harvest. This year, we gathered at the winery to explore 20 vintages of our Estate Cabernet in two blind flights (where the vintages are unknown to us). Our in-house Spottswoode team was joined by top sommeliers Lexy Harrod of Zuma in Las Vegas and Timothy Hinueber of Roaming Goat in San Francisco, and our esteemed business partner Jerred D. Wolff from Galaxy Wine Company/Wilson Daniels Wholesale in Oregon. Together, we shared insights on where each wine stands in its development. We always greatly value the palates and perspectives of our guests, whose depth of knowledge and industry experience aid in the exploration of our past vintages. We hope these tasting notes inspire you to uncork that illustrious bottle you have perhaps been saving in the hopes of enjoying it at a wonderful place in its evolution.

Vintages 2003–2022

Best in Show
Because wines continue to evolve over time, our impressions vary each year. In this tasting, the group particularly enjoyed the wines marked with our Black Labrador symbol.

2003 Drink/Hold  In a state of aged grace and repose, this wine strikes a balance between freshness and age. Tertiary characteristics show precision and tell a contiguous story. Fresh floral, rosemary, and stewed fruit aromas lead, while flavors of sandalwood, sweet tobacco, teriyaki wagyu, dried mushroom, and dry sage follow. The soft acid tension makes for a smooth ride.

2004 Drink/Hold  Like a rising crescendo, 2004 starts quietly before unveiling black cherry, fig, orange cloves, and berry compote. Patience is a virtue with this mysterious wine, as time reveals complex notes of soy, teriyaki, fennel, and fresh rainwater on red bricks. Soft, compact tannins uphold its concentration and warm finish.

2005 Try/Hold  2005 reminds us that wine is constantly evolving in the bottle. Its gorgeous power from last year still shines through in its long finish and complexity. Leather, chocolate shavings, dark soils, and black tea play the base notes for black cherry, plum, and bergamot to sing. Beautiful now, we believe its stunning components and tannins will harmonize again in about a year.

2006 Drink/Hold  Driven by notes of iron red earth, terra cotta, and iodine, this wine is balanced by the freshness of integrated red fruits, dried violets, lavender, sage, and rosemary. Still showing youthful energy, the tension is elevated by its open, dry tannins which fill the mid-palate. The 2006 is in a beautiful, harmonious chapter and ready to be enjoyed.

2007 Drink  “Textbook Spottswoode” with singing energy, balance, and intensity. Generous and expressive, this wine showcases lavender, anise, violets, black cherry, and a raspberry nose. Tertiary notes of fresh chopped firewood and caramelized honey give way to a touch of pyrazine and an undeviating midline drive. Freshness and juiciness prevail in this awe-inspiring 2007.

2008 Drink  Characterized by an inflection point of youth and age, the 2008 appeals to both young- and aged-wine drinkers. Youthful tannins provide a rich texture for harmonic aromatics of red currant, fresh berries, dried fennel, molasses, orange rind, cardamom, baking spices, and leather, with baseline salinity. Our in-house romantic, Beth Novak, describes its tertiary notes as a library with old leather books by a dwindling fire. This wine is singing now.

2009 Try/Hold  Perfumed and lifted aromatics lend this wine the vibrant energy of wild strawberries, rose water, and watermelon rind. A hint of pyrazine, dewy forest canopy, and herbaceous notes ground it. Less tertiary and more fruit-driven by nature, its chewy tannins reflect its youth. Though 15 years old, this wine has plenty of runway to develop.

2010 Try/Hold  Bright red fruit explodes on the palate with juicy thimbleberry, cranberry, red currant, and blackberry. While youthful fruit dominates, nutmeg and dried herbs show. Its creamy, velvety structure is coupled with restrained tension and vibrancy. This wine has more to say with age. Winemaker Aron Weinkauf notes that the aging of wines is not linear and expressions of personality phase in and out over time.

2011 Drink/Hold  A standout for its elegance and finesse, this wine’s pyrazine-driven backbone of red bell pepper and green olive remains fresh with black cherry and dark fruits. Briny pan-seared pancetta with rosemary and sage propels its savory delectability. Fine mid-palate tannins provide energetic texture. It is approachable now while showing ageability. The 2011 is in a wonderful place, a favorite among the team.

2012 Try/Hold  Youth in abundance visibly characterizes this wine, aromatically and structurally. Like the rising action of a page-turning story, the 2012 grips us with glimpses of its future. Clean, bright, and marked by racy acidity, it promises increasing complexity. Aromatics lean into primary characteristics of blackberry compote, cocoa powder, baking spice, and cassis, with oak still apparent.

2013 Try/Hold  This wine is taut like a coiled spring. Hidden within is a dense core of red and black fruits, balsamic glaze, tobacco leaf, pencil lead, dried herbs, and molasses. Youthful tannins keep this wine closed up, but the succulent components patiently await true harmony. A few more years of rest will do wonders for our wound-up friend!

2014 Try/Hold  2014 is historically an expressive “overachiever,” and this quality is showing through once again. Primary characteristics of bright red fruits give way to the escalation of tertiary characteristics of umami, seared steak, cedar, Christmas spices, California herbs, and damp forest floor. Juicy and vibrant, this wine sings now and will continue to do so for many more years as it enters adulthood.

2015 Try/Hold  Like a teenager moving into the next stage of life, the 2015 is in a growth phase, maturing into tertiary characteristics and developed tannins. As it sits right now, it is aromatically alive with baking spice, sandalwood, hibiscus, rose petals, and red fruit. Its young and raw tannin profile lends a rich and textural experience that is intriguing now and will benefit from more time in the bottle.

2016 Drink/Hold  A stunning balance of youth and maturity, the 2016 is showing off its dynamic nature both aromatically and texturally. Primary fresh black and blue fruits are complemented by developing notes of dried herbs, soy, espresso beans, dark cocoa, green olive, and salinity. Texturally rich with a broad mid-palate that is encircled by fine, succulent tannins.

2017 Drink/Hold  Gripping tannins give way to expansive velvety texture and strong midline drive. The dense core is balanced with red and dark fruits, lavender, fresh linen, rose spray, and spearmint. A charred-toast reduction opens into aromas of red soils and graphite. Beautifully complex now, this wine will only increase in complexity as its tannins soften. Winemaker Aron Weinkauf says, “Drink 6 and hold 6” (with a wink).

2018 Try/Hold  “Ooh and ahh” around the table for this quintessential Spottswoode vintage. Jumping out of the glass with intensity, precision, and freshness, the 2018 is shedding its baby fat and becoming mouthwateringly approachable. Fine tannins still hold tight on the front and mid-palate, lending to a desire for age. Dark fruits are grounded in salted prosciutto, dark chocolate shavings, juniper, green pepper, menthol, and rain on warm stone.

2019 Try/Hold  A full-bodied textural vintage layered with compact tannin and density. West Indies spices, cinnamon stick, cedar, and dried herbs lean on expressive blue and purple fruits to emerge into freshness. The components each sing in beauty now but ask for some time in the cellar to arrive in consonance.

2020 Try/Hold  A beautifully layered wine with much time to go. While cassis and red fruits are present, this vintage is less fruit forward with balancing herbaceous, clove, violet, and vanilla characteristics. Front and center is a lean and intense palate that is showing well. This wine is deeply intriguing and easygoing in its power.

2021 Try/Hold  The powerful elegance and intensity of the 2021 shines with dense energy and vibrancy. A layering of bright blue and red fruits with herbal qualities captures the essence of the Spottswoode Estate. Oak presence persists on top of a baking spice, balsamic, and eucalyptus backbone. The tannins are balanced and centered on the mid-palate. A few more years of patience will enhance the complexity and overall structure of the 2021 wine.

2022 Try/Hold  “Our lanky thoroughbred is getting ready to run” sums up the youngest release. It shows youthful tannins, bursting with wild strawberries, marionberries, and violets on the palate. Layers of graham cracker baking spice, cocoa powder, and toasted spice draw you in. A slight salinity ties it together.